Page 38 of Hoodoo House
“If I catch it, can I keep it?”
“No!”
“Aww,” he said, pouring himself a second cup of coffee.
“And speaking of doors, the one to the writing room was also open. Were you in there last night?”
“No.”
Gramma Carol wiped her hands on her apron, and headed down the hall. Henry followed close behind. She stood in front of the door to the writing room and opened it wide. Henry didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and clearly neither did Gramma Carol who breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Everything seems to be in order,” then headed back to the kitchen.
Henry remained in the room. Something wasn’t quite right. Henry focused.The bookshelves. Everything was neat and tidy but it looked somehow…different. He closed his eyes and pictured the room the way he last remembered it, then opened his eyes and compared what he saw. There was definitely something different about the books behind the writing desk, but what was it exactly that was bothering him? He shook his head in frustration, then he had an idea. He needed to call Charlie.
Chapter Fifteen
The sunlight filtered in around the edges of the blinds. Charlie was confused for a moment. His eyes still half shut, he reached around him. The bed seemed to have grown in the night. He realized that this was not his and Carrie’s apartment. But where…?
The Rosebud Inn!
“Declan?”
Charlie took in his surroundings, then crept out of bed and poked his nose out into the living room. Declan was sound asleep on the couch. He hadn’t even bothered to pull out the hide-a-bed. He’d just lain down on top, and was still fast asleep. He looked adorable.
Charlie crept back into the bedroom and closed the door. He might as well get some work done while he waited for Declan to wake. It was only a quarter past eight in the morning.
Charlie opened his notepad and reviewed his notes. Something was bothering him. He felt like he’d missed something. As he flipped through the pages of his book, there was a rustling sound in the other room, then a head jutted around the door.
“Good morning,” Declan said.
“Good morning,” Charlie replied with a smile.
Declan smiled back. “I’m just going to grab a hot shower. My neck has a wicked kink in it for some reason.”
“You should have woken me up,” Charlie said.
“Are you kidding? You were dead to the world. I couldn’t have woken you if I’d tried. After I’m done, we’ll go down for breakfast then see about the car.”
“Sounds good,” Charlie said.
Charlie heard the shower turn on and the curtain rings jingle as they were pulled across. He pictured Declan under the water, soaping up his body, imagining what it would feel like if they were his hands doing the work. Declan would turn around, letting the hot water pummel his back as his taut muscles relaxed. He pictured himself there with him, massaging those massive shoulders.
The water turned off and the shower curtain jingled open. He heard Declan pull the towel off the rack.
Charlie realized that the door to the washroom was still open a crack. He moved so that he could see inside, yet stood back far enough that Declan wouldn’t see him. Declan was rubbing himself vigorously. His back was towards Charlie. Declan worked the towel down his muscle-corded back then towelled off his ass. Charlie found himself shaking, wanting to break into the room and touch everything. Did Michelangelo have that feeling towards his model as he sculpted David?
But then Charlie’s thoughts returned to last night…and this morning. They’d been in the same bed, and nothing had happened. Maybe Declan wasn’t interested anymore. Charlie had asked about Michael and Declan had avoided the conversation. He decided to move back to the couch and focus on his notes. He’d talk to Declan more about his feelings at a later time. Right now they had work to do.
When Declan had finished in the bathroom, they headed down to the front desk where they discovered William was on duty.
“Did you have a nice stay?” he asked.
“We certainly did,” Declan replied.
Charlie noticed William was wearing his Fergus name tag. Charlie pointed to it. “You might want to change that.”
“Oh no, sir. Fergus and William alternate duties daily.”
“I see.” Charlie said, although he wasn’t really sure if he did. “Is breakfast being served in the dining room?”
